Off the Ground.

Paying It Forward

During a business trip, Van de Gronde received a kukui nut lei from someone he deeply admired. The gesture stayed with him. Back home, he began collecting kukui nuts, wanting to pass the gesture forward.

This work was created as a vessel for that intention.

A single kukui nut rests on a wooden cube, slightly lifted from the surface. Just off the ground.

The cube is carved from a plane tree that once grew at Leidseplein in Amsterdam. A tree records time in its rings; the kukui nut was historically used as a tool to measure time. Both hold duration within their structure.

The name Van de Gronde quietly informed the composition. Earth. Origin. Layers. The nut is elevated, yet remains connected to where it comes from.

Inside each cube, a concealed glass tube holds a handwritten note, allowing the gesture to become personal again.

Edition of 21
Material: plane tree, steel, kukui nut, glass
10 × 4.5 × 4.5 cm